Kaliphlin Geography
While most would think that Kaliphlin only consists of sand, Kaliphlin's geography is more diverse than meets the eye, with just about every landscape that other guilds have. The Kaliphlin Guild rules the Siccus Badlands, which are predominately a desert wasteland in the southern realm of Historica, with the Rakath Mountains in the east and the Wither Woods in the west. Kaliphlin's borders are roughly the oceans on the east, west, and south, and approximately a line running east from the center of the Wither Woods across the bottom of the Great Escarpment, and through the Rakath Mountains to the southern part of the Goolag Archipelago. Although mostly comprised of deserts, Kaliphlin-ruled areas are the most geographically diverse in Historica, including deserts, swamps, grasslands, forests, alpine areas, glaciers, temperate rainforests, and jungle. Major Geographical Features The major geographical features are: the southern deserts, the Rakath Mountains, the Wither Woods, the Arkbri, Red, and Qar-Akhen rivers, and the island of Gorr. In the far west lies the vast Wither Woods forests and the farmlands of the South. These pitiful farms do not provide much food, but the vastness of the farmland provides enough space to grow food for the sparsely populated Siccus Badlands. A temperate climate prevails in these parts, and the landscape at times looks almost Avalonian. Fed by the lakes and rivers of Avalonia and central Historica, the Arkbri River runs through the Siccus, and is the primary source of fresh water to the parched south. For the affluent however, the preferred water source is the glacial waters shipped from the Mitgardia's snow caps. The Arkbri is the major north-south trade route from the Siccus to central Historica, and from there on to Avalonia and Mitgardia. Vast deserts stretch east from the Wither Woods and the Arkbri all the way to the southern Rakath mountains (e.g., the Westersands, the Nyika Tipu, and the Parched Lands). In some areas a Mediterranean climate prevails along the coast, but inland is a scorching arid wasteland, except for small oases fed by underground springs and settlements along the few rivers, such as the Arkbri and the Qar-Akhen. Erezhi, the Lonely Mountain, is a massive volcano, alone in the middle of the desert. It is rumored to be an evil place. Nearby is the Salt Lake, a dry lakebed that is the terminus of the occasionally flowing Lick of Salt river. The upper reaches of the Lick of Salt flow through enormous canyons. The northern border of the deserts is the Great Escarpment, a massive cliff that runs for hundreds of miles from the Arkbri River east to the Rakath mountains. To the south, surrounding the mouth of the Qar-Akhen River, are the mysterious Akhenaten Swamps. To the east is the trailing end of the Rakath Mountain Range. The mountains are small compared to the lofty heights of the northern Rakath mountains, but still formidable. High in the mountains the snow never melts, and a few glaciers persist in the northern mountains. Under the shadow of the Rakath mountains lies the smaller Mystic mountains where various bands of Mountain Mummies will sojourn near the local villages during the oppressive scorching months. The southeast corner of the Siccus is the land of Peregrinus, on the mountainous Cape Dahaka. The eastern coast stretching northwards from the cape is mostly made up of rocky cliffs with steep fjords cutting well inland. The eastern slopes of the Rakath extend down to the sea, leaving little room for agriculture. These slopes are covered in deep, dark pine forests, and are almost always shrouded in fog. Major Cities The port city of Barqa, at the mouth of the Arkbri River, is the major trading hub in the western part of the Siccus. Here supplies from the north are shipped in and in return the Black Oil, spices, and other goods are shipped out. In the middle of the vast southern deserts is Petraea, the ancient fortress capital which is the home base of the Kaliphlin. Shipments to and from Petraea travel along the Oil Road, stretching from Barqa to Qarkyr - always heavily guarded to protect from bandits. The mountain fortress of Qarkyr stands in the Rakath mountains, acting as a sentinel over the inhabitants of the Nocturnus Darklands. Other important cities include: Lost Vega, Stone Town, Mpya Stedor, Eastgate, Berigora, Messahmuk, and Ras-el-Akhen. Distances Kaliphlin-ruled areas are approximately 470 miles east to west, and 240 miles north to south. It's longest dimension is about 560 miles, from the northwestern coast in the Wither Woods on the Avalonian border to the far southeast islands off of Cape Dahaka. Gorr is about 130 miles across. Note that a man on a horse can cover approximately 25-35 miles per day, and a ship in a decent breeze can cover around 138 miles in 24 hours or 69 miles if only sailing during daylight (at 5 knots, some ships can probably do 8 knots). From the Avalonian capital of Albion to Barqa in the western Siccus is about 265 miles by road, or 7.5 days by horse. And from Cedrica to Petraea, the capital of the Badlands, it's 271 miles by roads, which is nearly 8 days. However, it's probably faster to travel by boat from Cedrica down the Arkbri, disembark at Queenscross and travel overland to Petraea. From Barqa to Petraea would be about 215 miles by road, or just over six days on a horse. From Petraea to Qarkyr is about 144 miles, or just over four days on a horse. It is about ten and a half days (360 miles) from Barqa to Qarkyr. Climate Most of the Siccus Badlands has a typical desert climate. Exceptions include: *A temperate rainforest climate in the northeast, along the fjords and eastern slopes of the Rakath *A Mediterranean climate on much of the south central and southeastern coast (from east of Barqa to Mpya Stedor, excepting the Akhenaten swamps which are more humid), and on the northern Gorr coast *A humid, tropical rainforest climate in southeastern Gorr *A temperate climate in the western grasslands and forests *A tropical savanna climate along the coast for a bit east of Barqa *An alpine climate in the higher Rakath mountains *A cooler, high desert climate in the western slopes of the Rakath Read More *Maps *Important Locations *Other Geographical Features Category:Geography Category:Kaliphlin